Man, what a productive day. My luck’s really running hot right now, capped off by this near-miraculous occurrence last Friday:
I was driving a friend to some hipster rooftop party in Midtown when we swung through a bank’s ATM lane so he could get some cash. Because I was driving, I handled the keyboard work. The window at this one is never at the right height, and I had to open the car door to reach everything. From there, we drove around a block or two, found a good parking place, pulled in and as I reached for my purse…
Gone. Gone, and I knew just what had happened: It had fallen out the car door when I opened it to use the ATM. It’s small, so it didn’t make much of a sound. But it had my wallet, phone and keys in it. Losing even one of these items would have screwed the weekend but good. Losing all three would have ruined the week. I told my friend to buckle his seat belt and peeled out back to the bank. My heart was pounding, so much that I did something you should never, ever do in Detroit: Honked at a motorist too slow to turn right on red. (Well, it was some harmless-looking Toyota, and it was Midtown. Almost certainly a suburbanite coming down for an exotic meal at Hopcat.)
Maybe five minutes had elapsed since we left the window, but it was Woodward Avenue in the infamous D, across the street from a rock club and public hospital, next door to a restaurant and coffee shop, well-traveled by bums and other colorful urban denizens. My purse could have been in some guy’s backpack half a block away.
But! There it was, lying where it had fallen under the ATM! We both exhaled in relief. And circled around back to Cass, where the same parking spot we’d left was still open. Beyond belief.
I don’t mind telling you I bought a lottery ticket the next day. Didn’t win, but it felt like something I had to do.
So, then, a wee bit of bloggage:
Let’s kick this off with a nod to our handful of readers in the 50th state, and watch some video that demonstrates why I believe ocean swimming is nuts and everyone should stick to lakes, Great and otherwise. (A popular T-shirt around here reads, “Lake Michigan: Unsalted and shark-free”)
I wrote about this urban-farming project more than three years ago, and it finally appears to be coming to pass. Things move slowly here.
Oh look, Ben Carson said something crazy again. Enjoy your book tour, doc, because something like one-third of American women have had abortions, and my guess is that most of them don’t consider themselves the moral equivalent of slave holders.
Finally, a great OID story, with a headline I defy you not to click: Rare harp seized in case involving shrink, sex and pimp. Boo-yah!
Brandon said on October 27, 2015 at 12:20 am
At least that psychiatrist had the good taste to buy an antique harp/
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Brandon said on October 27, 2015 at 12:25 am
Let’s kick this off with a nod to our handful of readers in the 50th state, and watch some video that demonstrates why I believe ocean swimming is nuts and everyone should stick to lakes, Great and otherwise. (A popular T-shirt around here reads, “Lake Michigan: Unsalted and shark-free”)
There’s Hattie, and me, and who knows who else, but I can say surfing is possible in the Great Lakes but probably not as thrilling as on the North Shore.
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Jolene said on October 27, 2015 at 1:48 am
Wow! That Hawaii video is amazing–and terrifying. Those fellas are lucky not to be among the dozen or so tourists who drown every year while visiting. Am surprised, actually, that it’s not more.
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David C. said on October 27, 2015 at 6:36 am
Why is everything equivalent to slavery and Hitler except slavery and Hitler? I guess we’ll never know and it will help Dr. Ben win Iowa which helped Presidents Santorum and Huckabee so much.
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ROGirl said on October 27, 2015 at 6:56 am
At this point he’s managing to out-Trump Trump. Let’s see what he comes up with next, and how long he lasts. At this rate the outrageous meter will soar to new heights. Something involving the anti-Christ, perhaps, doubts about gravity, Hillary will usher in the apocalypse and I’m the only one who can prevent it?
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Julie Robinson said on October 27, 2015 at 7:11 am
You know the Republicans are in trouble when another candidate is making Trump look sensible.
Locally, we watched a bit of the mayoral debate between Mr. Pissy and Mr. So-inarticulate-you-wonder-how-he-governs. But we soon abandoned it for our latest obsession, The Newsroom. Yep, we’re late to the party but we just got Prime for a year. It’s refreshing to watch intelligent people engage in snappy repartee while engaged in a noble cause. Too bad it’s fiction, right?
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Suzanne said on October 27, 2015 at 7:15 am
The thing with Carson is that I seem to run into some otherwise moderate, reasonable person almost weekly who says that Carson seems pretty ok. Almost none of them know of his religion, his statements on the Holocaust & guns, his statement on prisons turning people gay, etc. Some are regular Fox news were, but by no means all. I am mystified.
I am also mystified why the same people who moan & groan about their job being managed by some MBA who is brought in from “the outside”, knows nothing about the business, and proceeds to screw things up think electing someone with no political experience to have the top job in the country is a great idea! It’s not really an entry level position.
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alex said on October 27, 2015 at 7:32 am
I missed the mayoral debate. I was out celebrating my 54th birthday.
Mr. Pissy is finding himself more desperate than he thought he’d be at this juncture. People are relatively content with the way things are and most don’t see any benefit in placing a right-wing ideologue in an office where such a person is powerless to do anything about abortion and homosexuality other than make comforting noises to the hard-core imbeciles of his party. The only danger to Mr. Inarticulate is that contentment can also lead to complacency and a low turnout on election day among the sane.
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Julie Robinson said on October 27, 2015 at 7:42 am
Happy Birthday, Alex! I celebrate 59 on Thursday.
Mr. Pissy hasn’t raised much money, either. Is he too mean, even for his own party? We’ve been inundated with mail from Mr. Inarticulate, much of it simply encouraging us to vote, so I think your concern is shared.
Suzanne, exactly.
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Pam (the sister) said on October 27, 2015 at 8:30 am
There is nothing worse than that sick feeling you get when you first realize that your purse is missing! It feels like your blood pressure drops to dangerous lows. Glad you found it.
I am so surprised at the Ben Carson thing. Nothing fits with him. Since he was a doctor, there’s an assumption of some intelligence but that’s not what his words convey. He’s superstitious (not religious), has an appalling lack of knowledge of history, appears to fall easily for urban legends, comes to incorrect conclusions based on casual observation of society as seen through TV and the internet. He seems to be dazed and confused. And his weirdest thing to me is the amount of time that passes between being asked a question and then answering it. Have you noticed? His face screws up like he’s thinking deep thoughts but then nonsense comes out of his mouth. Maybe it’s dementia or early onset Alzheimer’s disease.
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brian stouder said on October 27, 2015 at 8:32 am
Happy birthday, Alex! – and Early Happy birthday, Julie!
After the school board meeting last night (gotta love those!) I watched the debate, and thought it was pretty good.
I would have argued about the Mr Inarticulate label, but early on Mayor Henry referred to how much has changed, since Mitch first held office 50 years ago – and then he never really took it back or corrected it, even though Harper brought it back up.
Anyway – I look forward to the vote, and although I think Henry will flatten Harper, if lightening strikes and Harper wins, we’d survive
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alex said on October 27, 2015 at 9:08 am
Ben Carson is the first political candidate ever who was dumb enough to stand firmly on the third rail of American politics, and the flying sparks are being mistaken for his glowing star.
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coozledad said on October 27, 2015 at 9:14 am
It’s not “Bible” artifacts, for one goddamn thing. Hick fuckmonkeys shouldn’t even be permitted to breathe on things they can’t possibly understand.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/hobby-lobbys-christian-owners-under-federal-investigation-for-importing-looted-bible-artifacts-from-iraq/
Rumsfeld and the rest of Bushco facilitated this theft, and I’m willing to bet they profited from it.
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Heather said on October 27, 2015 at 9:24 am
I’m not the first person to point this out, but slave women were often raped by their masters and and got pregnant, so slavery is hardly the best choice for an abortion analogy.
I once dropped my wallet outside my car (on the street side) in my so-so Chicago neighborhood and it was still there the next day. I couldn’t believe it.
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coozledad said on October 27, 2015 at 9:30 am
Carson also wants to put thought police in charge of the universities, like they’ve done here in NC.
http://www.bluenc.com/content/spellings-her-own-words-college-educated-ticket-takers
All yo kids gonna be shit sniffin’ MBAs now.
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Judybusy said on October 27, 2015 at 10:42 am
And Carson is ahead–by a hair–in national polls. Yikes! Hopefully, if he or Trump is the nominee, the Dems will comes out in droves to prevent one of these ignorant, arrogant men coming into office.
I’ve had amazing luck losing my wallet and recovering it. Once, it fell out of my pocket during a bike ride on Maui. It got picked up and returned to the store where we’d rented the bikes because the recipt was in the wallet. A couple years later, it fell on the floor of a coffee shop while I was visiting Vancouver. I returned 10 minutes later and it was on the floor. A few years after that, I left it at a Starbucks while on the road supporting a long-distance bike ride. I had to call a couple times–4 days later–after the ride (this was before cell phones were ubiquitous) before someone thought to look in the safe. And there it was. I eventually bought a more colorful wallet and started paying attention, because you just can’t keep doing that!
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Sue said on October 27, 2015 at 10:57 am
We have both the “Lake Michigan – Unsalted” and the “Lake Michigan: No Salt, No Sharks, No Worries” shirts. That’s because I love my lake, no matter what side of the lake I’m on.
And Nancy, to those one-third of American women, let’s add the probable equivalent of another third – those who listened, and those who drove, and those who stayed and cared for afterwards.
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Connie said on October 27, 2015 at 10:57 am
I once left a cash stuffed wallet in a bathroom at the Atlanta convention center. It was still there when I got back about an hour later. I then spent most of the cash at the AMerican Craft Council show which was serendipitously being held at the same time.
This past weekend was my library’s Friend’s book sale, another successful sale with just under $5,000 raised. I noted with amusement that in the book sale sorting space they have added a box labelled Mitch Albom. Which means a lot of people are getting rid of their Albom books.
I will be spending the next three days at the Michigan Library Association conference. Which is being held just down the street this year, so no hotel room.
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Deborah said on October 27, 2015 at 11:48 am
I once left my purse in a shopping cart in a grocery store parking lot. It was still there when I got home and realized what I’d done and drove back. I also left a purse in a sushi restaurant in Vegas, the waitress put it away for me and eventually they mailed it to me.
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Deborah said on October 27, 2015 at 11:50 am
I rarely use a purse anymore, I keep things in my pockets or a tiny shoulder bag that only holds my cell phone that I never take off my shoulder when I’m out and about.
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Dorothy said on October 27, 2015 at 11:52 am
Happy birthday a day late, Alex. You turned 12 the day I met my husband! We were 16 years old and his mother made him go to their downstairs neighbor’s birthday party for her three year old. I babysat the 3 year old (as did my sisters) and so that was the beginning of Mike’s and my relationship. And Nancy bringing up a lost purse on this date reminds me of another memory from October 26. Yesterday was 35 years since my purse was stolen while I was visiting my dad in the hospital. Today is my 36th wedding anniversary so it was easy to never forget the date my purse was taken – 1 day before my first wedding anniversary. I never did get it back and I was a dumbass who put an ad in the paper asking if anyone found it. I got a couple of obscene phone calls and that’s about it. Won’t make that mistake ever again. But it sure changed the way I keep track of my purse. I’m obsessed.
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Jolene said on October 27, 2015 at 12:11 pm
I really wish some enterprising reporter would interview the people who worked with Carson at Hopkins. It’s mystifying to me that he could be effective In that role.
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Jeff Borden said on October 27, 2015 at 12:19 pm
Ben Carson is genuinely terrifying. He has the look of a man who honestly believes the drivel he says is true. When I look at Trump, I see a con man doing his thing. Sweet jesus, but Carson looks sincere. I saw a gray-haired white woman Iowa voter being interviewed on the tube yesterday, telling the reporter she really liked how “calm” Dr. Ben is compared with Capt. Combover and she was certain that a man of his faith could lead our country back from the brink. And I recall from my reading of “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” how calm and cool was Heinrich Himmler, one of the architects of the Final Solution.
These are very dangerous times, folks. More dangerous perhaps than we know. Anything can happen in an election. . .just let a recession hit sometime next year or maybe a large-scale terror attack. . .and one of those GOP clowns we are chuckling at could have their ticket to the White House punched. We survived eight years of total dumbassery, but look at how it weakened us. Could we afford to do it again? I don’t think so.
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Brandon said on October 27, 2015 at 12:22 pm
@alex: Happy (belated) Birthday!
@Dorothy: Congratulations on your 36th wedding anniversary.
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nancy said on October 27, 2015 at 12:23 pm
Jolene, my guess is that his Hopkins colleagues would remember him as an eccentric doctor, a well-known personality type around hospitals. Docs, especially surgeons, tend to be highly focused on the work they do, and any small talk around the nurses’ station probably only revealed he’s religious, or a high-handed jerk, or a nice guy who’s a little off.
Which is to say, I’ve known a lot of weirdo docs in my life, and as long as they do their job well, I don’t care. Probably no one ever imagined he’d run for president and get this far.
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coozledad said on October 27, 2015 at 12:41 pm
My Republican rep, former minister of music* Mark Walker, is having Trey Gowdy come in for a fundraiser. They’re calling it “Share the Journey.”
I guess the State Fair’s over, so they can count on some increased traffic from the people who’d ordinarily be lined up to see snake boy.
http://walker4nc.com/
Maybe they bring Gowdy in for these things so the base can watch him blow a horse or fit his entire head into a women’s dress glove. But I suspect they had this worked out in advance when they thought they were going to stop Hillary with the Finest Minds of The Cotton States®
*Minister of Music conversion therapy is now widely regarded as a sham.
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Jolene said on October 27, 2015 at 12:56 pm
You may be right, Nancy, but I keep thinking about the parts of his work that didn’t directly involve patient care. In an academic medical center, docs serve on administrative committees, supervise residents, oversee research projects, and all manner of things that require interacting in a reasonable way with other intelligent adults. Perhaps his way of doing those things was also a combination of eccentricity and focus, but it’s hard to believe there aren’t some interesting stories to be told.
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dull_old_man said on October 27, 2015 at 3:05 pm
My wife, who is not a dull_old_woman, and Carson were in the same medical school class. She doesn’t remember him at all.
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Dave said on October 27, 2015 at 3:37 pm
I watched Trump speaking in Iowa, leaning on the podium, with his head down, blasting Carson and talking about the polls and how those idiots had to be wrong, and all I could think is, how does anyone who has completed kindergarten support him in any fashion. I hope Canadians realize how fortunate they are that a campaign lasts about nine weeks.
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Colleen said on October 27, 2015 at 5:10 pm
I once lost my ID in a casino in Las Vegas, the night before we were to fly home, and would need said ID. I freaked out, but we retraced our steps and found it at the security desk at Caesar’s Palace. Despite going home poorer than when we arrived, we won big that night.
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beb said on October 27, 2015 at 5:10 pm
I think Wonkette handles this perfectly in words or less:
http://wonkette.com/595369/gay-hatin-indiana-republican-caught-trolling-for-online-dick-what-a-shock
We quote: You know the old saying: “Scratch a homophobe, but please don’t knock the dick out of his mouth, he’s not finished yet.” (We think that’s the saying?) Anyway, meet your new gross Republican gay-sexing… The accompaning picture shows a man with no necks — it’s chins all the way down.
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Joe Kobiela said on October 27, 2015 at 5:30 pm
Got to Oakland Troy about 8 this morning not leaving till 9 tonight so my copilot and I drove down to the Detroit historical museum, really enjoyed it,I try and learn a little something when I can, today I learned Carhart Clothing was a Detroit company, never new that, after that we headed over to willow run and the Yankee air museum, there in the process of moving into the last part of the old bomber factory, should be neat when there done.
Ate in A2, at DiBellas deli, yum, hanging at the airfield till 9
Pilot Joe
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Jolene said on October 27, 2015 at 5:37 pm
FYI: Hillary will be on Colbert tonight.
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Jolene said on October 27, 2015 at 5:44 pm
Should be worth tuning in because, as this article illustrates, Hillary is fun.
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Sherri said on October 27, 2015 at 7:54 pm
It’s all fun and games when it’s Trey Gowdy and his clowns making Hillary look Presidential. It’s a catastrophe when Lamar Smith (R-Stupid Land of Creationism and Climate Change Denialism), chair of the House science committee, uses the same model to try and shut up scientists.
http://www.vox.com/2015/10/26/9616370/science-committee-worse-benghazi-committee
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MichaelG said on October 27, 2015 at 8:00 pm
Happy birthday to Alex and Julie and happy anni to Dorothy!
Roy Edroso commented a few weeks ago that Carson seemed to be in a daze. I had long thought that there was something off about him and Roy’s comment brought it right home. What I’m wondering is when Carson’s going to start getting all the racist shit that has to be hovering out there like a time bomb. Obama always comes across as well spoken and well educated which makes him uppitier than Carson who is a dolt and with whom the Republican masses can identify. But still.
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MichaelG said on October 27, 2015 at 8:01 pm
Happy birthday to Alex and Julie and happy anni to Dorothy!
Roy Edroso commented a few weeks ago that Carson seemed to be in a daze. I had long thought that there was something off about him and Roy’s comment brought it right home. What I’m wondering is when Carson’s going to start getting all the racist shit that has to be hovering out there like a time bomb. Obama always comes across as well spoken and well educated which makes him uppitier than Carson who is a dolt and with whom the Republican masses can identify. But still.
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
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alex said on October 27, 2015 at 8:11 pm
Thanks for the birthday wishes! Fifty-four is the new thirty-one or thereabouts, so I’m told, and I should quit worrying about getting winded when tying my shoes.
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Sue said on October 27, 2015 at 8:40 pm
Obviously, the only one who can stop a bad guy with a machete is a good guy with a machete. I don’t know if it will pass the senate (I think it will), but if it does Scooter’s sure to sign it.
http://lacrossetribune.com/news/state-and-regional/wi/wisconsin-assembly-votes-to-legalize-concealed-switchblades/article_ac0a4759-a932-5874-a020-8521c73d7e2a.html
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on October 27, 2015 at 9:02 pm
Hat tip to Sherri from yesterday for taking the step to go on a planning commission; it’s long months of tedium punctuated with a few hours now and again when you realize you’re in the middle of decisions with lasting consequences. Hope they tap you for that service!
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David C. said on October 27, 2015 at 9:07 pm
And the National Knife Association isn’t even a thing, yet. What a fucking embarrassment this place has become. But I suppose it’s always been there. The same Wisconsin that gave the country McCarthy gave it Tammy Baldwin too. So it goes. I sure hope we get a better electorate for 2020 so we can end the Gerrymander where the lunatics who got 48% of the vote ended up with a near supermajority.
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coozledad said on October 27, 2015 at 9:14 pm
Carson’s just the old school justification for the atrocities that lie at the heart of our country. The amenable black guy who turns his face away.
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Deborah said on October 27, 2015 at 9:18 pm
Happy late birthday Alex and happy upcoming birthday Julie. Congrats Dorothy, you and your hubby seem like such a happy couple.
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brian stouder said on October 27, 2015 at 10:20 pm
Cooze – yes, and well-put.
The terrible video of the young lady being slammed to the floor while at her desk in high school – and then thrown – appears to be an unacceptable example of the NOT-amenable black person who would not turn her face away.
I did not know, until this evening, that her offense was that she had her phone out, and wouldn’t put it away. for that she was physically assaulted, and then arrested.
Another young lady in the class spoke out and protested the violent reaction, and then she was arrested.
And of course the irony is – the whole terrible chunk of police brutality (or more rightly, criminal assault and battery by a goon with gun and a badge) was captured on the phones of several other students.
The Dr Carson campaign is at best a weak joke, and at worst a cynical betrayal – if not an outright Uncle Tom boondoggle – to once again paper over America’s exceptional racial backwardness
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Diane said on October 27, 2015 at 10:40 pm
I have a good friend who had a close relative who was an ongoing patient of Carson’s. My friend knew him well enough that he would ask where she was if she couldn’t make it to a doctor/patient/family meeting; he came to the funeral when another member of the family died, etc. She thought he was smart, caring and extremely competent. She quite seriously thinks that what is happening is early onset of some form of dementia.
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basset said on October 28, 2015 at 12:56 am
Watched Colbert for the second time tonight to see how Hillary would do. She is indeed funny. “Smarmy” is how I would describe him, though.
Learned something last weekend. If you go into a roadside pecan and souvenir stand on the outskirts of Fort Deposit, Alabama, and you’re wearing a “Still Pissed at Yoko” T-shirt, you will get the stink-eye at least once. Count on it.
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Sherri said on October 28, 2015 at 2:25 am
Thanks, Jeff(tmmo). Planning commission is something I’ve been interested in for a while, but the time commitment was too much for me to take on while my daughter was still home. I talked with a couple of current commissioners and the mayor before submitting my application, and I know that the city would like to get another woman on the commission to improve the gender balance, so I like my chances. We’ll see, though; there will be interviews with planning staff, the mayor, and the city council.
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alex said on October 28, 2015 at 6:41 am
Brian, I don’t know if you were aware of this:
http://www.journalgazette.net/business/Cars-recalled-for-3rd-time-9583188
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on October 28, 2015 at 7:22 am
The top two are interesting, but the third one: I’m still convinced that Carson is a blank screen for too many people, someone they’re just projecting hopes and fears onto and seeing what they intend to see… but I’m terrible at political predictions.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/2016_presidential_race.html
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Julie Robinson said on October 28, 2015 at 7:55 am
If 54 is the new 31, 59 is going to the optometrist and learning your vision can no longer be corrected to 20/20, and you have a macular pucker. Also that your mom needs a little laser touchup on her cataract surgery, so between the two of you it’s four more appointments, just to begin. Blargh.
We’ve been loving Colbert, his guests, and his thoughtful interviews. He’s still working on shedding his smarmy persona from his last show, that I’ll agree.
Ben Carson’s success in Iowa doesn’t surprise me after visiting my family there this summer. His picture and campaign materials were all over the house and I heard a lot about what an honorable man he is. Trump’s three marriages disqualify him from that category, at least according to Uncle Marv and Aunt Shirley.
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alex said on October 28, 2015 at 8:07 am
Jeff, as the Republican base goes, I think they like Carson because he’s a fundamentalist Christian who speaks their language without coming across as a pandering opportunist like Huckabee or Cruz. And then there are those who think like he does, which is reminiscent of Archie Bunker mansplaining the world to Edith and Meathead. But I can see how people might project onto him what they want to see. He carries himself confidently without the sort of affectation and swagger that telegraph insecurity.
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brian stouder said on October 28, 2015 at 8:36 am
Alex, I saw the headline on the crawl, on the news last night, and it made me sigh.
In the wide view, I’m at a loss whether to be more angry at VW (which I don’t own) for deliberately lying and cheating, in order to emit more poisons than legally allowed; or General Motors, which specifically could have burned our house down and actually endangered my whole family – because they’re not competent enough to build cars that won’t suddenly burst into flames!
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Connie said on October 28, 2015 at 9:09 am
My 2012 Chevy Cruze just received its third recall.
This is coming to you courtesy of the free wifi at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi MI where I am waiting for the opening keynote of the Michigan Library Association conference.
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brian stouder said on October 28, 2015 at 9:15 am
Connie – no sarcasm – that sounds quite interesting. What is the keynote speaker going to address?
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Judybusy said on October 28, 2015 at 9:51 am
@ Sherri #35–thanks for that distressing article. I wonder how much money Smith got from the oil industry for his campaign?
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brian stouder said on October 28, 2015 at 10:08 am
Best article I’ve seen today –
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/10/27/lindsey-graham-pours-beers-contemplates-marrying-carly-fiorina/
an excerpt:
[CNN’s Dana] Bash concluded the lighthearted part of the evening with a game. “There is a fun bar game, which I will clean up, because we are in mixed company, and on television,” said Bash. “So, I’m going to call it: Date, marry, or make disappear forever.”
There were laughs and murmurs from the audience. The game Bash was referring to had an unprintable name; “make disappear forever” was a stand-in for “kill,” and “date” was taking the place of a word that, in Bash’s words, “rhymes with truck.” The choices were Hillary Clinton, Carly Fiorina, and Sarah Palin.
…and Graham handled the question quite well, and it ended with a laugh!
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Deborah said on October 28, 2015 at 10:10 am
American Writers Museum to open in Chicago in 2017 http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/27/american-writers-museum-slated-to-open-in-chicago-in-2017. Now there’s something I would love to design exhibits for.
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Jolene said on October 28, 2015 at 10:37 am
You should apply, Deborah. You certainly have the relevant skills and experience, and, since you are retired, you could also offer flexibility.
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Sue said on October 28, 2015 at 10:49 am
Deborah, can’t wait to visit the Mike Royko wing.
Seriously, though, this is very exciting.
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ROGirl said on October 28, 2015 at 10:54 am
My power went off for a few seconds and came back on 5 times this morning. The 6th time it stayed off, around 10. I saw an Edison truck pass my house about 10 minutes ago. Still no power.
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Dian Kim said on October 28, 2015 at 11:52 am
Diane @ 45
I can only imagine what a loss this would be to him, his circle of people and indeed the US if indeed he has some form of dementia: a man who was described as smart, caring and extremely competent. I know people who have remarked about relatives manifesting weird beliefs/attitudes as the disease takes hold.
Regardless of whether he would be president, the world losing someone who is smart, caring and competent is a loss, a terrible, incredible loss for us all. Like someone being assassinated, who knows how they might have contributed?
How sad. Damn cruel set of diseases.
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David C. said on October 28, 2015 at 12:16 pm
I don’t believe for a second that Carson is in early stage dementia. It’s late stage fundamentalism. I have enough fundies in my family to have heard all the same nonsense multiple times and for years on end.
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brian stouder said on October 28, 2015 at 12:26 pm
Well, and not to pile on….ah hell – the BETTER to pile on(!) – that Slate article about Carson that Nancy linked contains the following passage, which proves that Carson the fundamentalist Republican has apparently never read anything about Republican president #1, Abraham Lincoln:
“During slavery—and I know that’s one of those words you’re not supposed to say but I’m saying it—during slavery, a lot of slave-owners thought they had the right to do whatever they wanted to that slave, anything that they chose. And what if the abolitionists had said, ‘I don’t believe in slavery but you guys do whatever you want’? Where would be?”
Carson should read something about Lincoln’s Cooper Union address (Harold Holzer has a fine book about that one). Lincoln consistently defended – or at least avoided conflicting with – the “rights” of southern slave holders, from before he was president, and right on into the war years.
In fact, the Emancipation Proclamation, at the moment it was issued, very specifically did NOT free slaves that we had the practical power to free (ie- slaves in loyal states like Delaware), and only declared emancipation for people held in slavery in areas still in rebellion on January 1, 1863…
But – who would expect a candidate for the Republican party’s presidential nomination to understand anything at all about Lincoln?
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Brandon said on October 28, 2015 at 1:19 pm
Learned something last weekend. If you go into a roadside pecan and souvenir stand on the outskirts of Fort Deposit, Alabama, and you’re wearing a “Still Pissed at Yoko” T-shirt, you will get the stink-eye at least once. Count on it.
Maybe it’s the word pissed that attracts glares. Somehow, they don’t seem to be big Beatles fans there. Maybe Lynyrd Skynyrd. The term “stink eye” almost certainly originated in Hawaii. At least I heard it a lot growing up. But seeing it used on the mainland is still a trip.
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Jolene said on October 28, 2015 at 2:35 pm
What the NYT wants us to cook today.
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Jolene said on October 28, 2015 at 2:38 pm
Another fabulous collection. Something to fantasize about while you finish up the afternoon at work.
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brian stouder said on October 28, 2015 at 3:34 pm
Jolene, you have stoked my fantasies, indeed!
I’m predisposed to salivate over Nigella Lawson’s stuff, and this one
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11001-intense-chocolate-mousse-cake
caught my attention.
(That, and also her strawberry pavlova)
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Deborah said on October 28, 2015 at 3:44 pm
Jolene, you’ve made me really hungry. I noticed there was a recipe for pasta Bolonese, my all time favorite food. I make it with ground beef, pork and veal and I use heavy whipping cream. Little Bird made it with my recipe for my birthday a few weeks ago before I left for Chicago. She had so much left over that she used some of it for filling in homade ravioli, which she topped with a light tomato cream sauce, which sounds divine, she had guests over and everyone raved about it.
I’m at my new favorite coffee shop in Chicago, called Dollop, they have the BEST coffee and it’s only a block from my house. It’s a dreary, rainy day here, second in a row.
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Deborah said on October 28, 2015 at 3:45 pm
That’s homemade, not homade.
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LAMary said on October 28, 2015 at 4:00 pm
The NYT did a recipe for one pot pasta a month or so ago and it’s good. I think it was the NYT. That’s my usual go to site. I recommend the recipe highly. Takes about 20 minutes, one big saute pan and you get the sauce and the pasta in one go.
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Dexter said on October 28, 2015 at 4:03 pm
Twice I panicked at lost billfolds. Once I returned from a five mile bike ride and discovered an empty pocket and was sure I had lost it, but my mind was addled from three straight years on third (all-night) shift, and the billfold turned up in my work-pants hamper. Once I was wearing a track suit and as I exited my truck my billfold fell out onto the street at a parking spot. Thirty minutes later, it was still there, unharmed, untouched, right in the street.
Once I was sure I had lost a credit card in Ann Arbor , on the one day I had walked from Kerrytown to M Stadium, so I retraced my steps… no results…and a week later when I pulled out my gasoline card , my credit card was there, neatly stuck to the gas credit card. And of course I had already cancelled it.
I see there’s a repugg debate tonight, on World Series Game Two night…seriously, would they go up against the Super Bowl or even a Daytona 500-type race? Tomorrow’s a travel day, no game…the election is over a year away. I know there are a lot of baseball haters, but c’mon…it’s the fucking World Series! No? Apples and oranges, eh? Last night’s epic game went 14 innings and today is being hailed as perhaps the greatest game in World Series history, so there’s that.
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LAMary said on October 28, 2015 at 4:05 pm
It wasn’t NYT. It was a modified Martha Stewart recipe posted on Food 52.
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brian stouder said on October 28, 2015 at 4:30 pm
Dex – and I read that Fox fouled the festivities with lots of dead air (apparently a toaster in the control truck popped a breaker*)
*only kidding
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Jolene said on October 28, 2015 at 4:41 pm
Brian, I like the look of this Nigella Lawson recipe. Not that I know how to make those little flowers, but they’re sure pretty.
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Sue said on October 28, 2015 at 4:43 pm
LAMary, I went to Food 52 and searched recipes, and somehow came across a frightening-looking banana bread. Well, maybe not frightening-looking but honestly my family would make rude comments if I made it.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on October 28, 2015 at 4:44 pm
There was a Fox Sports tech who got ’em back on the air, though…
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/12/10/23F4503700000578-0-image-a-2_1418254793039.jpg
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Julie Robinson said on October 28, 2015 at 4:56 pm
Jolene, am I thinking you’re on the NYT cooking email list? I get them several times a week, and for my birthday I’ve selected these waffles: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9062-buttermilk-brown-sugar-waffles.
Signing up for their emails is an easy way around the 10 articles a month paywall, BTW. I get a news summary every morning and all the links are free. I’m also signed up for the aforementioned cooking, theatre review, health news, book reviews, and weekend magazine. There isn’t usually enough time to read it all but it’s great having choices.
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David C. said on October 28, 2015 at 4:58 pm
The Rs are already throwing tantrums. Should be an interesting night. For somebody, not me.
http://wonkette.com/595421/republicans-prep-for-debate-with-pissing-match-over-dressing-rooms-everyone-loses
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Sherri said on October 28, 2015 at 5:09 pm
Fox didn’t foul the WS with lots of dead air, we only missed one batter. Then the teams stopped play. They noticed that they didn’t have the broadcast available in their clubhouses, making it hard for them to decide whether to ask for replay, so their was a long discussion about that. Before they could resolve that, Fox was back up showing the MLB International feed, which didn’t have all the tech gizmos but had much better announcers for an inning before Fox figured out that they could just move their announcers into the MLB International booth and kick the MLBI guys out. Oh well.
It was a fun game, and I’m torn about who to root for. I like the Royals, who played my Giants so tough last year, but there’s a local kid playing for the Mets: rookie Michael Conforto went to Redmond High, a year ahead of my daughter.
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Jolene said on October 28, 2015 at 5:12 pm
Yes, Julie, the NYT cooking newsletter is my favorite email. They have great photos; everything looks delicious. My time spent admiring photos to time spent cooking ratio is not favorable, but, hey, looking is free of charge and, equally important, free of calories.
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Deborah said on October 28, 2015 at 6:13 pm
How do you sign up for those NYT recipes via email?
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Julie Robinson said on October 28, 2015 at 6:37 pm
http://cooking.nytimes.com/topics/what-to-cook-this-week?em_pos=large&emc=edit_ck_20151025&nl=cooking&nlid=71921294
Scroll down to the bottom and there’s a place to sign up. As Jolene says, the pictures verge on food porn.
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Jolene said on October 28, 2015 at 8:11 pm
Alabama Shakes on Colbert tonight. Brittany Howard, the lead singer, is a force from another world.
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LAMary said on October 28, 2015 at 9:34 pm
Sue, you can google one pot pasta and look for the one that is Martha Stewart’s. It’s a nice little recipe and is very easy to fiddle with, adding things you like. I add olives and capers sometimes.
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susan said on October 28, 2015 at 9:35 pm
Jolene @66 – I’ve made the Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding a bunch of times, and it is super wonderful. And easy. No cooking! I often add dehydrated raspberries (dried from raspberries in my garden) to it, and ohmydog, is that good. Also lightly roasted almonds are tasty in it.
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